Birthday Boys
by missbip0lar
Summary: The one where the sh*t hits the fan just in time for Sasuke's birthday. SasuNaruSasu two-shot. Canon-verse. Post-war.


**Title: "Birthday Boys"**

**Pairing: SasuNaruSasu**

**Rating: Are you stupid? MA**

**Summary: Chapter 1 - The one where the shit hits the fan just in time for Sasuke's birthday. canon-verse. post-war.**

**Warnings: LEMON! Possible OOC-ness (seriously, i am doing my BEST to keep our boys in character for this one). Casual and gratuitous use of expletives (i.e. LOTS of swearing). Blatant overuse of "Teme" and "Dobe". Straying from canon a tad (so what, though? this is fanfiction. i do what the fuck i want!). Sakura getting a clue! Long-ass speech.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto, yadda yadda.**

**Author's Note: Happy Birthday, Sasuke! Okay, so here it is, June 17th, and I'm starting the final draft of this fic. The rough draft was complete about a month ago, and I'm finally pleased enough with the rough draft that I can start typing. Hooray! Now I will warn you... I'm not completely comfortable writing this pairing. Generally, I prefer NaruSasu over SasuNaru, but seeing as how it's SASUKE'S birthday, the man should get to be seme. But Naruto's birthday is coming up in a few months, so when that happens... well, you get my drift. All right, that's enough of my rambling. Enjoy!**

**Mood Music: "The Drug In Me Is You" by Falling In Reverse (if you ask me, this song is SO SasuNaru it almost hurts.)**

-OoOoOoO-

_I've got these questions always runnin through my head_

_So many things that I would like to understand_

_If we are born to die and we all die to live_

_Then what's the point of living life if it just contradicts?_

_I felt the darkness as it tried to pull me down_

_The kind of dark that haunts a hundred year old house_

_I wrestled with my thoughts I shook the hand of doubt_

_I'm runnin from my past and prayin, "Feet don't fail me now."_

_I've lost my goddamn mind_

_It happens all the time_

_I can't believe I'm actually meant to be here_

_Trying to consume; The Drug In Me Is You_

_And I'm so high on misery, can't you see?_

_-Falling In Reverse, "The Drug In Me Is You"-_

-OoOoOoO-

Sasuke briefly looked up from the book in his hand as Naruto came into the living room, carrying two mugs of steaming tea. He held one mug out to Sasuke, who accepted it wordlessly, taking care to avoid the unwavering blue gaze that was constantly watching him like a hawk. Ever since Sasuke had come back to Konoha a year ago - mostly of his own accord, not that he would ever admit it - Naruto would not stop fucking watching him. It was as if Naruto was afraid Sasuke was some sort of mirage; that he would simply vanish into thin air if the blond took his eyes off him for even a fraction of a second.

It was annoying as shit.

Sasuke peered over the top of his book and caught Naruto's eyes. He raised a single delicate eyebrow at the blond, who hastily turned away, his face going slightly pink.

Sasuke went back to his book and tried not to think about what all those looks meant. He knew, though, even if the dobe wasn't yet aware. Naruto - just like every goddamn female in Konoha - was completely infatuated with Sasuke. He supposed it could be worse; at least Naruto liked him for who he actually was, rather than some fantasy-version of himself that all the girls envisioned. Naruto even seemed to like him on his bad days, when he was broody, reclusive, grumpy, or otherwise unpleasant. Those days were coming all too often now, because Sasuke was growing restless. He'd been trapped within the confines of the village walls for a year now, under Naruto's strict supervision, and he was beginning to forget what daylight even looked like. He hadn't ventured outside Naruto's apartment for over a month, irritated that the good people of Konoha couldn't quite seem to make up their minds about him. One minute, he was Uchiha Sasuke: traitor who fled the Hidden Leaf and joined Orochimaru. And in the very next breath, he was Uchiha Sasuke: one half of the famous Uchiha brothers, who defeated Kabuto and released the Edo-Tensei; hero to the Hidden Leaf. The villagers' indecision about him was driving Sasuke mad.

"Hey, Sasuke," Naruto said at last, jolting him out of his reverie. Sasuke realized he'd read four pages, but didn't remember a word of what he'd read. "Your birthday's coming up next week. Have you thought of what you wanna do to celebrate?"

"Nothing," Sasuke answered simply. He hadn't celebrated his birthday since his family was still alive. Why should this year be any different?

"C'mon, teme!" Naruto pouted. "This is the big one, dattebayo! You'll be twenty! Legal to drink! We could get a few bottles of sake, and-"

"I don't drink."

"Why not?" Naruto asked as Sasuke turned back to his book. He sighed.

"I'd rather not discuss it," he said shortly, finally abandoning his attempts to read in peace; it clearly wasn't about to happen, seeing as how Naruto couldn't seem to stay quiet for any length of time.

"You never want to discuss anything, Sasuke," Naruto accused, crossing his arms over his chest. "I thought we were past all this secretiveness. So tell me: why don't you drink?"

"It turns me into a different person," Sasuke supplied vaguely. He wasn't about to tell Naruto that alcohol made him chatty, and horny. The one and only time he had indulged, he had almost fucked Karin. He probably would have, too, had he been able to get it up.

He'd been about fifteen at the time. He had just formed Hebi, and Suigetsu wanted to "celebrate". Sasuke, knowing where Orochimaru kept his stash, had grudgingly found each of them a bottle of sake. Sasuke himself hadn't been particularly interested in drinking (or anything for that matter, except hunting down his brother), but his now adult mind was beginning to recognize his indulgence as simple teenage rebellion. Two hours later, Suigetsu was puking and dehydrated, Juugo was perfectly fine, and Sasuke and Karin were... making out.

Sasuke had realized very quickly, even with a hazy mind, that making out with Karin was not something he was likely to do again. It wasn't necessarily that Karin was a bad kisser (although, the only thing he had to compare it to was his accidental kiss with Naruto when they were twelve). It just hadn't felt right. Sasuke still couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something had been missing.

Sasuke looked back up at Naruto, who was still fucking watching him.

"What?" he snapped at last. "Why are you always looking at me like that, dobe? Do I fucking have something on my face?"

He wiped at his face to emphasize his point, but Naruto just looked into his lap.

"No," he said quietly. "There's nothing on your face. I'm just still so shocked that you're even here. I mean, I spent years chasing after you. You tried to kill me, on multiple occasions, swearing up and down that you would rather be dead than ever come back to Konoha!" Naruto was shouting now, and Sasuke was flabbergasted by the sudden... hostility? in his voice. "And now here you fucking are; sitting on my goddamn couch reading a book like it's the most natural thing it the world! And here I am, trying to force you, fucking Uchiha Fucking Sasuke, out of your bitter, reclusive bubble for long enough to enjoy your twentieth birthday - which is a fucking milestone in your life, by the way - and you're telling me 'I don't drink' because it 'turns me into a different person', all vague and shit! Well fuck that, teme! You and I are going to consume copious amounts of sake on your birthday! I don't care what kind of person it turns you into! I was able to handle you at your very worst, when you were vengeful and angry and depressed as hell about your brother. What makes you think I won't be able to put up with you a little drunk?"

Naruto had stood somewhere in the middle of his rant, and Sasuke was just staring at him, wide-eyed, at a loss for what to say. Sasuke, who always had a comeback for everything (though it generally went unsaid), was completely and utterly speechless. Perhaps... perhaps he read the looks wrong. Perhaps Naruto wasn't some love-struck fanboy. Naruto was watching him expectantly, awaiting his reaction.

"Okay," he finally agreed. "I will buy us a few bottles of sake. However, I have some conditions that must be met."

"What are they?" Naruto wanted to know.

"One: do not invite anyone else over on my birthday. It can only be you and me. Two: if, for any reason, I try to change my mind about that, do not let me. Finally: no cake. I absolutely hate the stuff, and if I see a cake, I'm leaving."

"But you can't leave!" Naruto protested. "Tsunade-baachan put you under my supervision. She's already said that if you try to escape from me or the ANBU guards assigned to you while I'm on a mission, you'll go to prison!"

"I'd rather be in prison than have a cake," Sasuke spat.

"You know," Naruto chuckled, "for being almost twenty years old, you still act like a spoiled twelve-year-old sometimes."

"Do you agree to my conditions?" Sasuke asked, ignoring Naruto's barb.

"Yes," Naruto said. "Just the two of us - no matter what - and no cake."

"Good," Sasuke grunted. "Just so you know, I'm not looking forward to this."

"Well, I am," Naruto told him. "I can't wait to see what happens to you once you have alcohol in your system. Are you nicer?"

"Nicer is one way to put it," Sasuke smirked. That was certainly the nicest he'd ever been to Karin. Sasuke wondered if he should warn Naruto, just so he was aware of what he was getting himself into. "What about you?" he asked instead. "What can I expect from a drunk dobe?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, teme," Naruto admitted. "I've never been drunk before."

Uh oh. This could be bad.

"Never?" he asked.

"Nope," Naruto confirmed. "Every time any of my friends decides to throw a party, I'm either already on a mission or leaving for one the next morning. And when I was training with Ero-Sennin, he took great care to hide his sake."

This definitely had the potential to get bad. A first-time drinker and a chatty, horny Sasuke. The possibilities for disaster were endless.

"On second thought, maybe we should invite others," Sasuke said.

"No," Naruto said simply. "You already said just us, no matter what."

"Hn."

"You do know that's not an actual word, right?" Naruto asked.

"Hn," Sasuke repeated.

"So, Sasuke," Naruto began. "You wanna go down to the training grounds and spar for a little bit? You haven't left the apartment in forever, and you're probably getting a little rusty. Chances are I could even kick your ass this time, 'ttebayo!"

"In your dreams, dobe," Sasuke said. "No matter how good you get, you'll never be able to kick my ass."

"Then prove it."

"Let me go change," Sasuke sighed, standing up from the couch.

It felt good, Sasuke realized as he tied the purple rope around his waist, to wear something that actually suited him, rather than the tee-shirts and jeans Naruto had talked him into buying last year. They were stuffy and uncomfortable. This, however, he was used to.

"Why do you still wear that?" Naruto asked, leaning on the doorframe to his bedroom. Sasuke looked himself over in the full-length mirror, examining the clothes in question.

He wasn't quite sure how to answer, so asked instead, "Why do you still wear orange?"

"I like orange," Naruto shrugged.

"Yeah, it's loud and obnoxious," Sasuke smirked. "Just like this dobe I know. Maybe I like this."

"You don't like anything, teme," Naruto said, rolling his eyes. "If you insist on wearing that, at least put this on."

Sasuke eyed the dark blue hitai-ate in Naruto's outstretched hand dubiously. Tsunade had given it to him when he came back, and he still had yet to even put it on. He hadn't worn one of those godawful things since he was just a kid, and he didn't particularly want to wear it now. But the look on the blond's face was hopeful and pleading, and despite everything, those goddamn blue eyes of his had somehow become something of a weakness for Sasuke. So finally, he sighed and took the hitai-ate, securing it around his forehead.

"Satisfied?" he growled at a grinning Naruto.

"Very," Naruto beamed. "It looks good on you, Sasuke. I mean it."

"Hn. Let's just go. Hopefully we won't run into anyone."

Sasuke's hopes were short-lived, however. They weren't even half-way to the training grounds when a familiar mop of pink hair came into view.

"Hi, Sakura-chan!" Naruto called.

God dammit, Sasuke thought bitterly.

"Hi, Naruto!" she called back. "Oh... hi, Sasuke-kun. Where are you guys headed?"

"The training ground," Naruto answered immediately. "I'm finally gonna kick teme's ass today."

Sasuke just rolled his eyes.

"So, Sasuke-kun," Sakura said, flushing. The blush clashed horribly with her pink hair. "Are you doing anything special for your birthday next week?"

"Nah," Naruto replied for him. "The antisocial bastard just wants to sit at home all night."

Sakura blinked a few times in disbelief, then pulled Naruto to the side, just out of Sasuke's earshot. He rolled his eyes again and activated his sharingan. If they were going to be talking about him, he wanted to know what was being said. He read Sakura's lips as she spoke.

"You know, you really should throw Sasuke-kun a birthday party," she was saying. "He's turning twenty this year. I'm sure everyone would come."

Sasuke didn't have to read Naruto's lips to know his response. The blond really didn't have the capacity to keep his voice down.

"I wish I could, Sakura-chan," he replied, "but the bastard doesn't want it. He already threatened to intentionally get himself thrown in prison if I bring home a cake!"

Well when Naruto says it like that, it does sound pretty childish.

"Oh, nonsense," Sakura said dismissively. "I'll let everyone know to be at your apartment at eight. There will be a party, Naruto."

"No, Sakura," Naruto repeated sternly. "Sasuke said he doesn't want a party. It's his birthday; not yours. My birthday's coming up in a few months. We'll throw a party then. Just let him be antisocial. I'll drag him to my party if I have to."

The girl regarded him for a long time, then sighed.

"All right," she said at last. "I suppose I'll just ask him to dinner then."

"Sakura," Naruto snapped. He seemed to be getting agitated with his teammate. "How many times do I have to tell you before you understand? He's Not. Interested. He wasn't interested when we were twelve, and he isn't interested now."

Nice observation, dobe, Sasuke silently complimented.

"Well why not?" Sakura asked quietly. "Do you think there's another girl?"

"I doubt it," Naruto said in return. "I don't think he's into girls that much."

Sakura's eyes grew wide.

"You mean you think he's-"

"NO!" Naruto shouted hastily, casting a glance over his shoulder to a very amused Sasuke. "I don't think he's anything, really. He's never shown interest in anyone. Girl or guy."

"He's shown interest in you," Sakura pointed out in a hushed voice.

"Yeah-well-but-I mean-not like THAT!" Naruto stammered, blushing furiously.

It took every ounce of self-control Sasuke possessed to not burst out laughing. Sakura, it seemed, was either very stupid, or smarter than both Naruto and Sasuke combined. He considered her words carefully. It was true that Naruto was one of the few people Sasuke had ever shown any kind of interest in whatsoever. But what kind of interest was it? It had taken Sasuke months to accept that the real reason he had come back to Konoha in the first place was because Naruto wanted him to. He refused to say it out loud, and very rarely thought about it, but it was true. The look on Naruto's face the day the war finally ended, combined with Itachi's parting words had been enough to convince Sasuke that maybe it was time to abandon his path of revenge.

So what did that mean? Was he interested in Naruto... like that? Absolutely not. The thought was absurd. He could grudgingly admit that he cared for the idiot, but he couldn't possibly have romantic feelings for him. How could he? Naruto was his rival, and in the past year, they had become-dare he admit it?-friends. Naruto was the type of person who forced you to accept him-and his loud, obnoxious mouth. When they were kids, and up until the day Sasuke returned, he had been too preoccupied with his own quest for power to even give the blond the time of day. Now, though, with his anger and hatred all but forgotten, Sasuke was thrust directly into the middle of Naruto's life. He was something of a big deal now, apparently. He was the undisputed village hero, and rumor had it he was next in line for the position of Hokage. Sasuke would never dare tell him, but secretly, he was proud of Naruto. He was making all his own dreams come true, and there was something to be said for that. Sasuke had never experienced the kinds of feelings he had around Naruto, and now, with Sakura's words, Sasuke was truly beginning to wonder if those feelings were strictly platonic, or if there was something more...

Sakura's voice, directed at him, brought Sasuke out of his train of thought.

"Bye, Sasuke-kun," she was saying. "Hope you have a nice birthday."

"Hn."

He de-activated his sharingan and started walking in the direction of the training grounds. Naruto quickly fell into step beside him.

"I saw your sharingan," he said to Sasuke. "You were reading our lips, weren't you?"

"I was reading her lips," Sasuke corrected him. "I didn't have to read yours. You are incapable of having a quiet conversation."

"Right. Well, uh, sorry about that," Naruto muttered.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Sasuke replied. "You may have actually gotten it through her head that I want absolutely nothing to do with her."

"So I was right? You're really not interested in her?" Naruto asked.

"Anyone with eyes can see that I have no interest in silly little fangirls."

"Is there anyone you're interested in?" Naruto asked hesitantly.

"Wouldn't you like know?" Sasuke smirked. "Are you thinking that what Sakura said has some truth behind it?"

"Gah! No!" Naruto shouted.

"Uh huh," Sasuke said sarcastically. "Well, that blush you're wearing tells a different story."

"But, uh, I mean... y'know..." Naruto stammered.

"Spit it out, dobe," Sasuke commanded.

"If you did feel that way about me, it would... y'know... explain some things," Naruto mumbled.

"Like what?" Sasuke asked dangerously, narrowing his eyes at his companion.

"Like... you finally coming home, out of the blue like that, just because I asked."

"I already told you, dobe!" Sasuke snapped. "That had nothing to do with you! My brother-"

"Yo," came a voice from behind them. They both spun around to see a grinning Kakashi.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed happily, completely dismissing Sasuke. "What are you doing here?"

"I ran into Sakura just now," he explained. "And she said that you two had a little sparring session planned. So I thought I'd come down here and challenge you." He pulled two bells from his belt. "Now Naruto, I know that you and Sakura can steal these bells from me. The question is: can you and Sasuke work together for long enough to take these bells?"

"Please," Naruto scoffed as he stripped his shirt off and tossed it by one of the trees lining the training grounds. "We won't even break a sweat. What do you think, teme?"

Sasuke dragged his eyes away from the newly exposed tan skin and lean muscles of Naruto's torso, and forced himself to answer, "Yeah. Whenever you're ready."

The "fight", if it could even be called that, lasted for all of two minutes. Naruto's shadow clones and Sasuke's high-speed taijutsu made quick work of their old sensei, and in no time, Naruto and Sasuke were smugly holding up the tiny bells while Kakashi was tied to a tree with wire.

"Impressive," Kakashi complimented. "The two of you still make an extraordinary team. Now untie me."

"You should have known, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto laughed as he cut the wire with his kunai. "I mean, I proved a long time ago that I've pretty much surpassed you. And Sasuke is just as strong as I am-"

"Stronger," Sasuke cut in.

"My point is," Naruto continued, "you knew we'd get the bells. We knew we'd get the bells. So what was the point?"

"You're getting more and more perceptive every day," Kakashi remarked, standing up. "It was a test," he admitted. "Specifically for Sasuke. Lady Hokage asked me to determine if he was capable of working with others to achieve a goal. My findings will determine whether or not it's safe to start sending you, Sasuke, out on missions."

"And?" he prompted. "What do your findings suggest? Am I mission-ready?"

"I will be recommending to the Hokage that both of you be immediately promoted to ANBU. As a permanent team."

Naruto was bouncing with glee. Sasuke was suspicious.

"Why?" he asked. "Why recommend a promotion for the two of us? Why insist that Naruto and I go on all our missions together?"

"Teme," Naruto grumbled quietly.

"I'll be honest," Kakashi said slowly. "Sasuke, I think the only shinobi in this village that you can work alongside for any amount of time is Naruto. The teamwork you two displayed today was impeccable. You can read one another's movements perfectly; it's always been that way. Naruto and Sasuke as a unit is far superior to Naruto and Sasuke alone."

"You just don't think I have it in me to work with anyone else," Sasuke accused.

"That's part of it," Kakashi admitted.

"Wait," Naruto interjected. "You still don't trust him?"

"I never said that," Kakashi said. "The Elders, however, have their doubts. They still consider Sasuke a danger."

"I won't take the promotion," Naruto said stubbornly. "Not yet. Give it to Sasuke and give him the chance to prove himself to the Elders. After a few successful missions, if you still want to promote me, fine. I don't want it just so I can be a babysitter. For now, I want to stay with Team Seven."

"Are you fucking stupid?" Sasuke asked angrily. "You really don't want this? You seriously want to stay with Team Seven and continue to go on low ranked missions that don't pay shit? I don't have to redeem myself in the eyes of those old hacks! They don't have to trust me! All that matters is that you trust me."

As soon as he said it, Sasuke wished he could take that last part back. He hadn't meant to say it. He didn't even know he felt that way. Why was it that that stupid blond always brought shit like this out in him?

"Never mind," he muttered. "If you don't want the promotion, that's your problem. Kakashi, I'll be looking forward to hearing from you. I'm going back to the apartment."

Sasuke was grateful that, for once, Naruto wasn't chasing after him, as he had so many times before. Was what Sasuke said true? Was Naruto's faith in him all that mattered to the now ex-rogue ninja? No. It didn't matter one way or the other whether the blond trusted him or not.

He walked into Naruto's apartment and headed directly for the bathroom. Sasuke stared at his reflection in the mirror above the sink for a long time. His hitai-ate still looked foreign on him, and he wasn't sure what to think about it. It was uncomfortable against his forehead, and it just... still didn't feel right. This is what Itachi wanted for you, he reminded himself. A normal life. You owe it to him to try.

Sasuke sighed and took it , tossing it on the counter before stepping out of his clothes to shower. Like Naruto had said, he hadn't even broken a sweat at the training grounds today, but he needed the hot water to help him think. This was all too much to process for one day. The odd looks from Naruto, agreeing to actually celebrate his birthday (with alcohol, no less!), hearing Sakura's theory about why he wasn't interested in her, and now... a possible ANBU promotion. And to top all that off, when Naruto took his shirt off earlier, Sasuke had almost been unable to tear his eyes away from that sun-kissed skin. It had done something to him that he wasn't completely comfortable with. The vision of those lean muscles stretching and flexing under that tanned skin had sent all the blood in Sasuke's body rushing to one specific area between his legs. And now, just thinking about it, it was happening again.

"He's shown interest in you..."

He glared at his now prominent erection, willing it to go away. He forced his mind to picture Sakura naked, and that seemed to do the trick. The idea was far from comforting, however. He was a man, after all. Shouldn't the thought of a naked woman arouse him even more? Maybe it's just because you were thinking about her, he consoled himself. Let's try this again.

So he did. Sasuke closed his eyes, and as he bathed, he went down the list of women he knew, trying to picture them naked. He started with Karin. Too many bite marks. Then Ino. Too skinny. Then Hinata. Too much boob. Then Tsunade. Way too much boob. Then he had an idea. He'd already established that thinking of Naruto gave him an erection. So, maybe he was into guys? Sasuke sucked up his pride and tried to imagine some of the men he knew naked. Orochimaru? Ew. Kabuto? Even worse. Then... Naruto. He could see everything perfectly; that blinding grin, those cerulean eyes, that toned chest, those gloriously firm buttcheeks, and at last, that gorgeous, rock-hard cock. Just the thought of it was making Sasuke lick his lips. It was then that Sasuke realized just how badly he wanted to take Naruto in his mouth, swirl his tongue around the head, pulling short, desperate pants out of Naruto. He wanted to make Naruto beg for more, plead for Sasuke to take him. And then, he would. He'd plunge himself deep inside Naruto in one sharp thrust. And then he would move, agonizingly slow at first, but Naruto would be moaning so loud that it would encourage Sasuke to speed up. And the look on Naruto's face would be one of wanton ecstasy. And, God, Sasuke could practically feel it. It would be so good... so unbelievably good. And then, in the last instant, Naruto would scream his name, and his face would be contorted in bliss, and he would release, hot, white and sticky, all over the both of them. Just hearing the blond scream and watching him come would be enough to tip Sasuke over the edge and he would...

Sasuke's eyes shot open then to see his hand wrapped firmly around his arousal, tugging at it with such force he was sure he'd rip it off. Then, before he registered what he was doing enough to stop himself, Sasuke was coming, inadvertently panting Naruto's name over and over with every spurt that erupted from him. When it was finally over, Sasuke was barely able to hold himself up on his feet. He leaned forward and braced his hands on the tiled wall of the shower. Sasuke thought back, panicked, trying to remember at what point during this little experiment, things had gone from "What turns Sasuke on?" to "Masturbating to blond idiots." Well, whenever it happened, that cleared that up, he supposed. Evidently, what turns Sasuke on is, in fact, blond idiots. Not all blond idiots, obviously, because Ino certainly falls into that category, and Sasuke hadn't even felt a twitch thinking about her. However, it would seem that there as one blond in particular that had the capability to awaken Sasuke sexually. He'd never thought about doing those kinds of things to anyone before. Before today, Sasuke had been sure he would never have sex; that he would die a virgin. He simply hadn't had the desire. Suddenly, though, he did have the desire; he had a carnal and animalistic need to fuck Naruto senseless.

Sasuke heard the bathroom door open.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked. "Are you okay? I've been home for a half hour already, and you've been in there the entire time. What are you doing?"

"I'm fine, dobe," Sasuke answered. "Just thinking." About fucking you, his mind silently supplied. He shook the thought away.

"Oh. Okay. Well, I brought Ichiraku's for dinner. I know you don't like ramen, but it was cheap and easy. And I, uh, wanted to talk to you about something. So hurry up in there, okay?"

Naruto sounded nervous about something. Sasuke wondered just what Naruto could want to talk to him about that would have him that anxious. Sasuke's stomach dropped. Could he have heard what Sasuke was doing? Had he been loud? Sasuke had been so caught up in his fantasy that he couldn't even remember! Oh, fuck. This was going to be awkward as hell, wasn't it? Sasuke really didn't want to have this conversation with Naruto right now, or ever, for that matter. However, seeing as how the hot water in the shower had run out about five minutes ago, he'd have to face the music soon. Why stall the inevitable? he thought miserably as he reluctantly shut the shower off and grabbed his towel from the hook on the wall. Sasuke dried slowly, then wrapped the towel around his waist before opening the bathroom door and entering Naruto's bedroom. Naruto was sitting on the edge of the bed, and he was holding two items in his hands. One was the picture taken of Team Seven when they were kids and the other... well, Sasuke didn't want to jump to conclusions, but it appeared to be his old hitai-ate that Naruto had scratched during their fight at the Valley of the End.

Naruto looked up at him then, and there was an unreadable look in his eyes. Sasuke felt uncomfortable.

"I kept it," Naruto said at last, breaking the awkward silence. "All these years, I kept this thing, because it was all I had left of you. Part of me was always optimistic that you would come home someday. But most of me... most of me said, 'Naruto, you keep that stuff close, because he's never coming back.' Most of me was convinced that we would end up fighting and one, or both of us, would die. I was prepared for it. That time you tried to kill Sakura... my hope for you was all but gone. You should have seen yourself, Sasuke. There was this... insanity in your eyes that just fucking killed me inside. The Sasuke I knew, the Sasuke I had formed a bond with, was no longer there. In his place stood this crazed avenger that would wind up either killing me or being killed by me. And then Itachi broke free from the Edo-tensei, and a little bit of my hope for you was restored. I told myself that if anyone would be able to talk you out of your revenge, it would be him. And I still don't know the whole story of what happened between the two of you, but it seems as though that's what happened. And after the war, you came home, and I thought I could never be happier. And then, you and I started bonding again - I mean, we've had our fair share of fights, but whatever. And again, I thought I could never be happier. And then today happened." Naruto stood and walked over to Sasuke, who just noticed that he was still only wearing a towel. Naruto laced their fingers together and continued, "You told me today - and I don't think you even meant to say it - that it didn't matter to you whether the Elders trust you or not. That I trust you, and that's all that matters." Damn. Sasuke knew that was going to come back to bite him in the ass. "Did you..." Naruto trailed off, flushing, and looked down at their entwined fingers. "Did you mean it?"

"How long have you had the majority of that speech prepared?" Sasuke asked.

"Since you came home," Naruto admitted sheepishly, shrugging and still refusing to meet Sasuke's eyes.

Sasuke took a deep breath and thought about his answer. The way he answered this question would be the turning point in his life, and he knew it. He could say no - a lie - and Naruto would be hurt and angry and probably wouldn't believe him anyway. Or he could be honest and say yes, and the blond would be ecstatic, and he would probably hug Sasuke. And that would make things even more uncomfortable, because Naruto would use that "friend" word that Sasuke hated so much. He knew now that he wanted so much more than Naruto's friendship. However, if that's all he could get, it was better than not having him in his life at all. He'd been down that road, and a life without Naruto simply wasn't a life at all.

"Yes," he confessed. "I meant it. Now let me get dressed, dobe."

"I'm not done," Naruto said quickly, tightening the hold on Sasuke's hand. "I do trust you. You're my best friend." There it was, the dreaded friend word. "I would trust you with my life. Do you trust me?"

Sasuke just wanted to end this conversation.

"Yes," he snapped. "I trust you. If I didn't trust you, I wouldn't have come back to this fucking village for you. You're the only reason I'm even here. Are you satisfied?"

Naruto smiled, just the tiniest bit, and released Sasuke's hand from his. Sasuke figured that would be the end of it, so he went to walk away to get dressed, but Naruto was quicker. He took Sasuke's face in his hands and slowly brought their lips together in a soft kiss. Sasuke knew it was cliche, but all he could think about in that moment was fireworks. His heart was beating practically out of his chest, and his palms were beginning to sweat. Naruto's lips were moving languidly over his own, and his tongue darted out to trace along Sasuke's bottom lip. Hazily, Sasuke parted his lips just enough for Naruto's tongue to have full access to his mouth. Sasuke hesitantly reciprocated, meeting the blond's tongue with his own. Sasuke was on fire, from head to toe, as Naruto's arms encircled him and pulled him closer, so they were flush against one another.

Sasuke had never been kissed quite like this before. The drunken, sloppy make-out session with Karin had been awkward. But kissing Naruto felt natural. This, Sasuke realized, was what had been missing then. Somehow, Naruto knew just how to kiss him; he expertly used the exact amount of pressure, and he was nibbling Sasuke's bottom lip just right... This kind of kissing had to be illegal in some parts of the world, or at the very least, incredibly sinful. It was hot, and intoxicating, and Sasuke just couldn't get enough of the sensations Naruto was making him feel.

Wait. Naruto was kissing him. Naruto, who just called Sasuke his best friend, was kissing him. With tongue. The blond's hands were ghosting over his back and shoulder blades, and Sasuke's hands had somehow found their way into silky golden locks. What the hell was going on here? Despite having done what he just did in the shower not even twenty minutes ago, Sasuke's body was beginning to pay very close attention to the tongue currently attempting to scoop out his tonsils. When Naruto made a noise - something between a whimper and a moan - and Sasuke felt the blond's growing hardness inside his pants, his body was suddenly on high alert. Sasuke knew it was time to put a stop to this, or else they would wind up doing more than just kissing each other breathless, and Sasuke wasn't sure if he was ready to face the consequences of that just yet.

So, as much as he didn't want to, Sasuke harshly pushed Naruto away.

"What the hell was that?" he demanded.

"A... kiss?" Naruto answered breathlessly.

"No shit, dobe!" Sasuke shouted. "Last time I checked, best friends don't kiss like that. Best friends don't kiss at all! Why did you do that?"

"Uh, well," Naruto stammered, "Kakashi-sensei said I should come talk to you. And then he said that when it comes to the two of us, actions speak louder than words, so-"

"So you thought you'd just kiss me?" Sasuke exploded. "In what way is that okay?"

"Well, you seemed pretty okay with it, teme!" Naruto shot back. "You kissed me back!"

"Well don't do it again."

"Fine," Naruto scoffed. "I won't kiss you again."

Some part of Sasuke was screaming at him that he'd made a mistake. Maybe he should take it all back and kiss the dobe again, and hope like hell Naruto trusted him enough to allow him to do exactly what he wanted to. Before he could stop him, however, Naruto turned and walked out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

Sasuke let out a breath he wasn't aware he had been holding, and flopped down on the bed. For some reason, that whole exchange - the speech, the kiss - it took him by complete surprise, and he had been completely overwhelmed by it He needed to think things through before deciding on anything, even if that meant Naruto was mad at him.. Logically, there was no way this could end well. If they had sex, Naruto would most likely want a relationship, and Sasuke wouldn't be able to give him that. Not right now, anyway. As it stood right now, the attraction was strictly sexual, as far as Sasuke was concerned. There was nothing romantic about it at all. Naruto had simply been the first person to truly awaken Sasuke sexually. It was beyond fucked-up that it had taken this long for the Uchiha to experience lust, but he figured it was understandable. Emotions in general were still a mildly alien concept for Sasuke. Up until a year ago, all he'd ever felt - that he could remember - was hate. And then when he came back, he'd been numb. But slowly, over the past year, Naruto had broken all of Sasuke's walls down, and he was beginning to feel again.

But what the fuck was it that he was feeling for his friend? Physical attraction? Lust? Romantic attachment? ...Love? Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. This could not be happening.

He wished now, more than ever before, that he had his brother here. Itachi would have an answer. Itachi always had an answer for everything.

Sasuke chuckled internally at his situation. Here he was, the last hope for the Uchiha clan, for which he fought the majority of his life to avenge, and he was completely gay for his best friend. He shook his head at the irony. Well the Elders certainly got what they wanted, Sasuke mused. It seems my clan really has come to an end. But it didn't matter. There was no one left to impress. His clan was gone. And his brother... well, Sasuke didn't want to think about that situation. Not that Itachi would mind that Sasuke was pining for Naruto, of course. Thinking back on some of the things Itachi had said about Naruto, Sasuke had gotten the idea that Naruto had gotten to his brother somehow. He believed in Naruto. Maybe he had even seen this coming.

Why hadn't Sasuke seen this coming?

Naruto had never - never!- treated Sasuke the way best friends treat each other. True, Sasuke hadn't had very much experience when it came to best friends, but somehow he knew that constant bickering, repeatedly trying to kill each other, and awkward moments were not the norm for best friends. Not to mention kissing. At this point, Sasuke was finished denying it. He felt an overwhelming attraction to Naruto - for reasons he himself couldn't fully comprehend - and the blond was obviously harboring some kinds of feelings for him as well.

So, Sasuke reasoned, why not just go out there, strip him naked, bend him over the couch, and fuck that virgin ass until it bleeds?

God, that was tempting, almost too tempting, if not for one little detail: What if he's in love with me? Sasuke couldn't say with certainty that those feelings would be returned, and he couldn't in good conscience have sex with Naruto and then deny him that kind of emotional intimacy. There was a very high chance that if Sasuke walked out of this room right now and did exactly what he wanted to do, he would lose his only real friend in this whole village. He needed to analyze things more carefully before making any rash decisions. Perhaps things would become clear by his birthday.

Sasuke's stomach dropped.

Fuck. His birthday. He had promised Naruto sake. "Copious amounts," the dobe had specified (Sasuke had been genuinely surprised that such a word even existed in Naruto's vocabulary). Still, this was a recipe for absolute disaster. If he'd kissed Karin last time - someone he wasn't even remotely attracted to - how in the hell was he going to be able to control himself around that sexy blond? Best not to think about all the different possibilities right now. He would figure out how he felt first, then make a decision about what to do on his birthday.

So he had... five fucking days. Fabulous.

Sasuke dressed quickly, and made his way out of the bedroom to retrieve his meal. But what he encountered when he stepped out of the bedroom made Sasuke stop dead in his tracks.

Naruto's rarely used kitchen table had been cleared of its usual littering of training scrolls and ninja tools, and in their place was Naruto's best - and only matching - dinner set. Two large bowls were filled with their take-out ramen, and two glasses held chilled green tea. Naruto was seated patiently on one side of the small table, fidgeting with his napkin. Sasuke slowly made his way to his place setting, when he noticed a little something extra that the blond had laid out especially for him: a sliced tomato. He bit back a smile as he sat down

"I'm sorry I kissed you," Naruto said quietly as Sasuke picked up a slice of tomato. "It won't happen again unless you want it to."

"Hn," Sasuke replied, taking a bite out of the juicy red fruit.

"Does that mean you accept my apology?" Naruto asked, his blue eyes locking with Sasuke's dark ones.

"I do," Sasuke replied. "But what do you mean, 'unless I want it to'?"

"Well," Naruto shrugged, trying to hide his grin, "you did kiss me back. Don't try to deny it, teme. Your tongue was in my mouth, and your hands were everywhere." Naruto blushed. "I just figured, y'know, someday you might... I dunno... change your mind or whatever." Naruto was about as red as the tomato in Sasuke's hand. "If you ever do change your mind, don't hesitate. You're allowed to kiss me."

Sasuke's brain was screaming at him to do it, to just launch himself across the table and kiss the blush right off of Naruto's face.

"Hn," he repeated instead, smiling as he picked up his chopsticks and dove into his bowl of ramen.

After finishing their meal and washing up, the remainder of the evening went smoothly. Naruto asked Sasuke - for the hundredth time since he returned - to teach him how to play Shogi, and Sasuke - for the hundredth time - tried. An hour later, the blond was frustrated and confused, and Sasuke was frustrated and exhausted. And Sasuke vowed - again, for the hundredth time - that he would never do it again.

"Fuck this," Naruto grumbled at last, then yawned. "I'm going to bed."

"Like hell," Sasuke said shortly. "You're on the couch tonight. You had the bed last night."

"Fine," Naruto scoffed.

Pleased, Sasuke made his way to the bedroom.

The decision he and Naruto had come to regarding sleeping arrangements was, admittedly, very mature - considering most of Naruto and Sasuke's mutual decisions in the past were anything but. When Naruto had suggested that they take turns sleeping in the bed, Sasuke had readily agreed. And tonight was Sasuke's night in the bed. He always looked forward to these nights. Beds had become something of a luxury the last few months before Sasuke came back to Konoha. He'd grown accustomed to sleeping on the ground, so when he finally was back inside the village walls, all he could think about was the likelihood of being able to sleep in a real bed again. And even now, a year later, after a night of sleeping in the too-short, uncomfortable couch, Sasuke still had a deep appreciation for beds. Plus, the bedroom had the only window air conditioner. Sleeping in the living room in the summer was torture.

Sasuke stripped down to his boxers and climbed into bed. Naruto only had a single bed, so stretching out wasn't much of an option. But the mattress was soft, the comforter was warm, and the pillow smelled like honeysuckle and clover. I will never get tired of that smell, Sasuke thought, taking a deep breath and rolling over to get some sleep.

-OoOoOoO-

Sasuke was just coming to consciousness, and there was that smell again. But it was stronger this time, and... silkier? He breathed deep and took in the scent, the sweet and floral mixture flooding his senses. He hummed appreciatively and hugged the sleeping body closer to him. Wait... sleeping body? Sasuke opened his eyes slowly and was met with... the sun? No, that can't be right, Sasuke reasoned. He blinked a few times and focused his eyes. Okay, not the sun. Blond hair.

And that was when Sasuke's brain snapped into full consciousness. His arm was wrapped tightly over Naruto's bare waist, Naruto's fingers were laced with his own, their legs were tangled together under the blanket, and his face was buried in soft blond spikes. Well this was.. intimate.. Although, honestly, it wasn't a bad way to wake up.

Thankfully, the blond was still asleep.

Naruto chose that moment to stir, sleepily rolling over to face Sasuke and looking at him with tired blue eyes. A look of confusion swept over Naruto's features before their positions seemed to hit him.

"Oh my God!" he shouted, leaping out of the bed. "I am so sorry. Please don't kill me!"

Oh, that's right. Under normal circumstances, Sasuke would be pissed that he had inexplicably woken up next to Naruto.

"What the hell were you doing in bed with me?" he demanded.

"I'm sorry!" Naruto said again. "It was just so hot in the living room, so I came in here. I figured that if you had a problem with it you would wake up and tell me to get back to the couch. But you didn't. When I got in the bed, you started... cuddling with me. So I thought it would be okay."

"I don't cuddle," Sasuke said shortly.

"Yeah, okay," Naruto scoffed sarcastically.

Before Sasuke had a chance to come up with a retort, there was a knock on the front door. Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a look and glanced at the digital clock on the table next to the bed. Who the hell stops by someone's house at 6:15 on a Saturday morning?

"Probably Kakashi or Sakura coming to get me for a mission," Naruto grumbled as they made their way to the front door.

Naruto turned the knob and swung the door open, revealing Kakashi.

"Good morning, you two!" Kakashi grinned. "Sasuke, Lady Hokage would like to see you in her office. Naruto, go with him." Kakashi turned to leave, but paused. "Oh," he added, almost scandalously, looking them both over "and you should probably put some clothes on first."

Naruto swore loudly and looked down, apparently noticing for the first time that he was still wearing nothing but a pair of boxers. Kakashi simply laughed and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck," Naruto mumbled as he headed back to his room to get dressed.

"What's the big deal?" Sasuke asked. "It's not like Kakashi has never seen you in your underwear."

"Not when there's some other guy in my house in his underwear, too!" Naruto fumed, blushing furiously.

"Right," Sasuke said. "It's okay for you to kiss me out of the blue, and for you to climb in bed with me, but God forbid someone see the two of us half naked together. Why do you care what people think, dobe?"

"I don't!" Naruto protested angrily. "I just don't want to get teased for something like this by my team when, according to you, there's nothing like that between us."

"Do you want there to be something like that between us?" Sasuke asked quietly.

"I never said that," Naruto gulped. His face was growing redder and redder with every passing second.

"So you don't want something like that between us."

"I... never said that, either," Naruto said quietly, not meeting Sasuke's eyes.

"Well, which is it?" Sasuke prodded. He wasn't about to leave this alone. He needed to know.

"We'll talk about it later."

Naruto was clearly panicked, and he was hastily covering himself with his usual orange tracksuit. Sasuke stepped up behind him and spun him around.

"Tell me what you want," Sasuke ordered.

"Leave it alone, teme!" Naruto shouted, getting up in Sasuke's face and glaring daggers into the Uchiha's eyes. "You don't want to know."

"Oh, but I do," Sasuke insisted, leaning down to speak directly into Naruto's ear. "I think you want me so bad it hurts. I think you want me just like Sakura does. You're completely infatuated with me. And you can't deny it."

Before Sasuke could stop it, Naruto punched him in the face. Hard. He went toppling backwards, momentarily caught off-guard. He wiped his lip with the back of his hand to clear away the blood.

"Don't you ever accuse me of that," Naruto growled. "The way I feel is nothing like the way Sakura does. She can't see past your good looks. I, on the other hand, know you're the biggest bastard on the planet. And you're lucky as fuck that I even still talk to you after what you put me through. So don't think for a minute that my feelings are the same as hers."

"So it's like that, is it?" Sasuke scoffed, shaking his head. "Whatever. We know that we're going to the Hokage's office today for my promotion. So when I've saved up enough money, I'll move out and get my own place."

"You don't have to-"

"Yes I do," Sasuke said. "Or else people will think that there's something going on between us. And you've made it perfectly clear that you don't want that."

"Teme, I-"

"Don't. You've already said what you needed to say. Let's just get this promotion over with."

Naruto sighed and nodded, then sat down on the edge of his bed and just stared at the floor while Sasuke dressed. They walked to the Hokage Tower in silence, and Sasuke received his uniform from Tsunade. He sat impatiently while a masked ANBU member tattooed the swirled symbol on his arm.

"Would you hurry the fuck up?" he gritted out. "That's annoying."

"It's almost done," Naruto told him quietly, peering over the man's shoulder to examine the tattoo. "It looks awesome."

Sasuke just glared at him, and Naruto averted his eyes. Sasuke was hoping the blond felt like shit for what he said. Though, honestly, he sort of felt like shit himself, for comparing Naruto to Sakura. And then he just felt angry with himself. Why should he feel bad for that? Because if he does have feelings for you, they aren't superficial like that, he silently scolded himself. But he couldn't exactly apologize. That would be like admitting he had feelings for the idiot. And until he was sure that those feelings were reciprocated, he wasn't going to let Naruto find out.

"I meant what I said," Naruto said quietly as they were walking home later. Sasuke raised his eyebrow at him. "About the tattoo, I mean. It looks really good. And I'm sorry for hitting you. And I'm sorry for what I said. The truth is-"

"No," Sasuke interjected. "I accept your apology. We'll just leave it at that for now."

"I don't want you to move out," Naruto blurted suddenly, and Sasuke just gaped at him. "I mean, I like having you there. It's kinda nice to have someone to come home to at the end of a long mission, ya know? And trust me, I didn't mean it when I said that you're lucky I'm willing to talk to you. You could have cut my legs off and I would have still forgiven you."

"I shouldn't have compared you to Sakura," Sasuke admitted.

"I accept your very Sasuke-esque apology," Naruto grinned. "We have exactly four days until your birthday. Think we can get along until then?"

"I doubt it," Sasuke smirked. "We can't ever get along."

"Yeah, you're right," Naruto agreed.

-OoOoOoO-

"God dammit, dobe!" Sasuke shouted through the locked apartment door. "Open this fucking door before I set it on fire!"

"Jeez, teme," Naruto laughed as he wrenched his front door open. "I'm glad you're home. Happy-"

"Save it," Sasuke snapped, holding his hand up to silence the blond. "I've heard too much of that shit today. Did you put a sign on my back advertising my birthday?"

Naruto just laughed again and stepped aside to let Sasuke in.

"What's in the bags?" he asked excitedly as Sasuke sat said grocery bags on the kitchen counter.

In answer, Sasuke unloaded the bags, one bottle at a time.

"That's a lot of sake," Naruto remarked.

"Three for each of us," Sasuke told him. "I bought three different kinds, two bottles of each. This one," he continued, holding up the largest bottle, "was the Hokage's personal recommendation. That woman is such a drunk."

"Ready to get this party started?" Naruto asked, grinning and rubbing his hands together.

"Not at all," Sasuke admitted. "Pick a bottle."

And, of course, Naruto chose the bottle Tsunade suggested. He handed it to Sasuke, who opened it and tried to hand it back to the blond.

"No," Naruto said. "It's your birthday. Take the first drink."

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Fine," he sighed. "You may end up regretting this."

Naruto just grinned again, and Sasuke put the bottle to his lips and tipped it back, letting the bitter alcohol slide down his throat. Despite the fact that the liquid was cold, it warmed him to the core as he drank; if he kept this kind of drinking up, Sasuke knew he'd be hammered in no time. He shoved the bottle into Naruto's waiting hand.

"It's-" before Sasuke could complete his warning, Naruto was already chugging. He watched in amusement as Naruto's eyes shot open in horror and he pulled the bottle of sake away from his lips, coughing and sputtering. "-strong," he finished. "You're a moron. Go sit down in the living room. I'm going to put these away, and then I'll be right in."

After he finished coughing, Naruto obediently made his way to the living room and plopped down on the ratty couch. He took another tentative swig from the bottle and scrunched his nose up. It was almost... cute. Sasuke watched him for a moment and snorted to himself. What the fuck am I doing? he thought. I've lost my mind. True to his word, Sasuke put the other five bottles in the refrigerator, then grabbed one of the smaller ones and opened it. He took a small drink and hummed appreciatively. This was better; not as strong or as bitter as the other one. He walked into the living room with his sake and took a seat next to Naruto. He eyed Sasuke's bottle quizzically, then reached for it.

"No," Sasuke scolded. "This one is mine. Finish that bottle, then you can have some."

Naruto glared at him and reached for the bottle again.

"Mine," he repeated. "Drink."

"Possessive bastard," Naruto mumbled, and he tipped his bottle back again. He wiped his hand across his mouth and turned to Sasuke. "So how was guard duty at the Hokage Tower?"

Sasuke let out a breath. Since he'd been promoted, Lady Hokage had forced Sasuke into guard duty outside her office every single fucking day. He was itching to be assigned a real mission, outside the village, but apparently the Elders didn't trust him enough for that just yet. And every day, when Sasuke got home, Naruto would ask him about his day. And, yes, that's right: home. Naruto had wanted him to stay, after all. So Naruto's apartment was home.

In addition, ever since the morning they had woken up together, Naruto and Sasuke had continued to share a bed, using the excuse that the living room was too hot. And every morning, Sasuke would wake up to the two of them pressed together. They never talked about it when they awoke, but silently disentangled from one another and simply went about their day. Mornings were - admittedly - a little awkward between them, but they always seemed to bounce back from it pretty quickly.

"Oi, teme," Naruto called, waving his hand in front of Sasuke's face, "you in there? I asked how your day was."

"Shitty," Sasuke answered, tipping his bottle back and chugging. Naruto gave him a sympathetic look. "I was stuck with Hyuuga all day."

"Awh, c'mon!" Naruto laughed. "Neji isn't that bad."

"You only think that because you're blind to the way people look at you."

As soon as the words left his lips, Sasuke wished he could take them back.

"Never mind," he mumbled.

"No. Now I'm interested. How does Neji look at me?"

"Don't worry about it, dobe," Sasuke grumbled. "Forget I even said anything."

"Teme," Naruto whined. "I wanna know."

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Pleeeeease?"

"What part of 'no' do you not understand?" Sasuke snapped.

"C'mon, teme!" Naruto whined again. God how Sasuke hated that.

"Fine! You want to know how he looks at you? Hyuuga Neji looks at you like he wants to pin you to the nearest surface and fuck the life out of you!"

"You mean the same way you look at me?"

And Sasuke punched him in the face, succeeding in in erasing that lecherous grin that sent all the blood in Sasuke's body directly to his groin. Seriously, they could barely go two days without violence.

"Ow, bastard," Naruto snarled. "That fucking hurt. You can't be mad at me for speaking the truth. You're always looking at me with those... eyes. They're always... smouldering at me."

"I don't look at you like-" Sasuke stopped himself. He couldn't exactly lie about it, after all. He knew he was always giving Naruto seductive looks, trying to break him, so he would be the one to make the first move. "Whatever, dobe. Just drink."

So they drank. And drank. And drank. Three bottles of sake - each - later, Sasuke was beginning to have a very pleasant twentieth birthday. Somewhere along the way, Naruto had shed his tee-shirt, declaring that his apartment was "hot as fuuuuuuuck," and Sasuke was getting a good look at that sun-worshipped skin he loved so much.

"Yer doin' it 'gain, teme," Naruto slurred.

"Doing what?" Sasuke slurred in return.

"Lookin' at me like that," Naruto grinned.

"Am not," Sasuke replied, turning his face away.

"You are. Only it's different this time - more intense" Naruto's voice was soft, almost a purr. "So is this why you don't drink? Because you start getting like this?"

"Like what?" Sasuke asked.

"It's about time you tell me why you're so opposed to drinking," Naruto insisted.

Sasuke sighed.

"The only other time I drank," Sasuke began, "Some things... happened. It got a little out of control, and I almost had sex with Karin."

"Why didn't you?" Naruto wanted to know.

"A few reasons," Sasuke confessed. "I was never interested in her like that, for one. And I wasn't able to... get it up."

"Why not?"

"She's..." Sasuke thought for a moment, before answering, "not my type."

"You have a type?" Naruto snorted.

Sasuke felt the words bubbling up inside him, and he was trying desperately to stomp them down. He knew this was going to happen. This was chatty Sasuke attempting to make an appearance, with horny Sasuke just a few steps behind. But Naruto was so sure he would be able to handle this side of him, so...

"I guess I do have a type," he replied cryptically. "I hadn't even been aware of it until just recently."

"So what is your type?"

It's now or never, Sasuke thought nervously.

"Blond," he admitted, "tan, with blue eyes."

"That's interesting," Naruto smiled, running his hand through his hair, "considering that describes me pretty perfectly."

"Does it?" Sasuke teased. "I hadn't noticed."

"Right," Naruto said sarcastically.

Naruto bit his bottom lip, looking at Sasuke through half-lidded eyes. Before the Uchiha could stop himself, he blurted, "I want to kiss you."

"Then do it," Naruto smiled. "I'll kiss you back."

"Once I start kissing you, there's no turning back," Sasuke warned him. "This kiss will absolutely lead to more. I won't have the same problem with you that I did with Karin. Are you sure you're ready for that?"

"Shut up and kiss me," Naruto demanded quietly, his lips suddenly centimeters away from Sasuke's. "I'm ready for this."

It started slowly, almost timidly, with a feather-like brush of lips against lips. Naruto was allowing Sasuke to set the pace, and when Sasuke deepened the kiss, his tongue tracing along the seam of the blond's lips, Naruto happily accepted it. They were just kissing, not touching anywhere else, but Sasuke was sure that if he'd been standing, his knees would be trembling. Naruto's tongue met Sasuke's, gently teasing it before retreating again, and Sasuke was longing for more contact. I've lost my goddamn mind, Sasuke thought again, as his heart pounded in his ears. They were only kissing! How was Sasuke's body and mind reacting so strongly to a simple kiss? He was already so hard he was aching, and these uniform pants were restricting. But still, he needed more contact with the blond, so he pulled Naruto into his lap so he was straddling him.

This is what he wanted, Sasuke realized. He wanted Naruto like this all the time, every day until the end of time. Naruto was the reason he came back in the first place, and Naruto would be his reason to stay. He was in love with this beautiful, idiotic, intoxicating blond - and tonight, he would have him. Sasuke rocked his hips upward, simultaneously showing Naruto what his intentions were and creating a wonderful kind of friction to his pulsating arousal.

Naruto broke off their kiss and moaned softly, moving his mouth down to Sasuke's neck to bite and suck at the skin he found there. Sasuke's fingers were digging into Naruto's hips as he felt a dark purple mark being sucked into his skin.

"Why are you still wearing this, teme?" Naruto whispered into Sasuke's ear, fingering the edge of his chest armor. "It would look so much better on our bedroom floor... with you between my legs..."

Sasuke's breath hitched. Oh, fuck. Naruto whispered that last part so quietly that Sasuke almost hadn't heard it. Almost. Those words broke the last of Sasuke's resolve. He lifted Naruto up and stood, reclaiming the blond's lips as he blindly walked toward the bedroom. Apparently, though, he stood too quickly, and his head spun just enough to make him lose his balance and stumble into the wall. Naruto's back connected with the wall, and he let out a small "Oompf," before breaking off the kiss and standing on his own feet. Naruto blinked a few times, seemingly trying to focus his eyes, before they finally rested on Sasuke, and the blond gave him a drunken, lopsided grin.

Oh, shit. He really was drunk, wasn't he? Was Sasuke... taking advantage of him? Naruto kissed him again, aggressively thrusting his tongue into Sasuke's mouth and threading his fingers through Sasuke's hair. God, Sasuke wanted this so bad, but he had to know for sure that Naruto did, too. He pulled his lips away from Naruto's and licked a wet stripe up the side of his neck.

"Tell me you want this," he demanded breathlessly. "Tell me you want me. And for the love of God, Naruto, tell me it's not just the sake talking."

Naruto untangled his fingers from Sasuke's hair, and took one of his hands in his own.

"Does this answer your question?" he asked, just as breathless, and he guided Sasuke's hand down his bare chest and rested it over his clothed erection. "And no, it's not just the alcohol. I've wanted you for years. Let me have you."

Sasuke couldn't believe what he was feeling. Naruto was just as aroused as he was - maybe even more - and the blond had begun desperately thrusting against Sasuke's hand. He dipped his hand into the waistband of Naruto's jeans, and when he wrapped his fingers tightly around him, Naruto arched his back and let his eyes roll into the back of his head. Sasuke squeezed and pulled, listening to the blond's breaths come out in short, harsh pants.

"Tell me, dobe," Sasuke husked into Naruto's ear, "how long have you wanted this? How often have you fantasized about me being inside you?" He tugged and twisted at Naruto's length again. "How many times have you touched yourself and thought of me?"

"Fuck, Sasuke, all the time," Naruto confessed. "Years. I've wanted you for years. And I don't intend to wait anymore."

He twisted his fingers harshly through Sasuke's hair and crashed their lips together once more. The journey from the hallway to the bedroom, and then to the bed, was all a little bit of a blur. Naruto's hands were making quick work of Sasuke's uniform, haphazardly tossing his chest armor and shirt across the room. When those same hands came to rest on the zipper of Sasuke's uniform pants, he knew they'd have to slow this down, or there was a chance it wouldn't last nearly as long as he wanted it to. He opened his mouth to say something, to tell Naruto to slow down a little, but then the blond's hand slipped inside his pants and cupped him through his boxers. And then all logical and coherent thought escaped him. He was losing control, and it felt incredible.

Sasuke tore Naruto's hands away from his pants and pinned them to the pillow beneath his head. Wait, pillow? When did they get in the bed? He looked down. When did Naruto get naked? His legs were spread wide, resting on Sasuke's thighs, and his chest was rising and falling with his coarse breathing. Sasuke's pants were pushed down just the smallest bit, his erection just barely peeking out of the top of his boxers. He pushed the offending clothes down over his butt to the tops of his thighs, and inched himself closer to Naruto.

"Wait," Naruto panted, and Sasuke panicked, sure that the blond was having second thoughts. Instead of telling Sasuke to stop, Naruto simply opened the drawer of the beside table and pulled out a bottle of clear liquid. "Let me show you how it's done," he grinned.

Naruto popped open the cap on the bottle and spread some of the liquid over his fingers. Sasuke watched his slicked hand move down his body, pausing at Naruto's entrance. And then Naruto slipped a finger inside himself and gasped, pulling his knees up to get better access.

"You've done this before," Sasuke accused, suddenly jealous that maybe Naruto had been with someone else.

"Just this," Naruto replied, pushing another finger inside next to the first and spreading them. "I've never had sex with anybody. You'll be the first."

A third and final finger joined the other two, and Naruto whined when he curled his fingers. This was quite possibly the most erotic thing Sasuke had ever seen, watching Naruto prepare himself for what was coming next.

"Okay, I'm ready," Naruto told him as he pulled his fingers away from himself.

Sasuke pulled his pants and boxers all the way off and settled himself once again between Naruto's open legs. He picked up the discarded bottle of lubricant and slathered a fair amount over his straining erection. He pulled Naruto further down on the bed and spread his legs even further apart, resting them on his thighs and positioning himself at Naruto's entrance. Sasuke applied just the smallest bit of pressure, and Naruto growled at him to hurry the hell up. So Sasuke pushed forward slowly, pausing when the head was all the way in. Goosebumps crawled over Sasuke's skin, even though he was coated with a light sheen of sweat. His head was swimming, even though he was sure that the sake he'd been drinking earlier had been rendered completely useless by this point. And Naruto's eyes were lidded and glazed over in pure bliss, even though Sasuke knew he was in pain.

"Please," Naruto pleaded desperately, "please, more. Deeper."

So Sasuke pushed further forward, fully seating himself within Naruto's body. The loud cry that erupted from the blond was so beautifully sinful that Sasuke lost all control. Something snapped inside him, and all he wanted was to hear Naruto cry out like that again. He wanted the entire village to hear Naruto shout Sasuke's name, and to know exactly who Naruto belonged to.

"Hold on to something," Sasuke warned, and in the same instant he pulled his hips back slowly, and then snapped them forward with a sharp thrust. His fingernails were digging into Naruto's thighs, and the blond's muscles were clamping down on him, making him even tighter than he already was. It was so hot, and so tight - so tight it almost hurt - and every time Sasuke pulled back, Naruto's body was sucking him back inside. He thrust again, at a different angle, and Naruto arched his back and screamed.

"There! Keep fucking doing that!"

"What the hell is that?" Sasuke asked, rolling his hips in the same way to hear the blond scream like that again.

"Heh," Naruto chuckled weakly. "That's the reason so many men enjoy this."

By now Sasuke's thrusts were becoming ruthless, and he wondered for just a moment if he was hurting Naruto. But, fuck, if the look on the blond's face wasn't encouraging. His mouth was hanging open, his cheeks flushed, his eyes squeezed shut, and his head pushed back into the pillow. Tan hands grasped at every inch of Sasuke's skin they could reach, and Naruto was shouting obscenities while he met every one of Sasuke's thrusts with one of his own.

"Harder," Naruto ordered, and Sasuke was more than happy to oblige.

Sasuke used every muscle in his lower body to pound into Naruto. The sheets were balled up in Naruto's fists, and honest-to-God screams of ecstasy were echoing in the small apartment. Those screams didn't quite drown out the the lewd sounds of skin repeatedly slapping against skin, and it only served to arouse Sasuke that much more.

"Fuck," Sasuke choked out. "Dobe, I'm gonna-"

"No!" Naruto said, hastily sitting up and pushing Sasuke off of him. "Not yet. Let me get on top first."

He pushed Sasuke back on the bed and swung his leg over his hip. Naruto reached behind himself and lined Sasuke's arousal up with his puckered hole. He slowly lowered himself onto Sasuke, moaning quietly as he was breached. He moved slowly, sliding himself up and down on the turgid length inside him. Soon, Sasuke was moving with him, his hips slamming harshly into Naruto. He really didn't know how much more of this he could take. The image above him was hot; every little thing he saw tonight had just been growing more and more erotic. And now, with the vision of Naruto on top of him, bouncing up and down, with his cock bobbing and slapping against Sasuke's abdomen, the Uchiha was sure nothing could be sexier than this. And then Naruto wrapped his fingers tightly around his length, and he started stroking. Sasuke didn't know what to look at anymore; his brain was on sensory overload. There was the expression of pure bliss on Naruto's face, the sight of his hand helping to bring him to completion, and the image of his own arousal penetrating Naruto over and over and over again. And then there were the fucking noises - the creaking bed, and Naruto's voice chanting Sasuke's name like it was some sort of prayer... And the blond was clearly trying so hard to not fall over the edge just yet, but it was all Sasuke wanted.

"Let go, dobe," Sasuke panted. "I want to see you come."

Watching Naruto reach orgasm was something Sasuke knew he would never forget. Naruto whispered his name one last time, and slid himself up and down a little more slowly, taking care to rock his hips just right to hit that spot again as he climaxed. His mouth hung open in a silent scream, his head thrown back in bliss, and it happened; Naruto's muscles tightened around Sasuke even harder, and string after string of pearly white landed on Sasuke's chest as the blond gasped and whimpered his release.

"Naruto, oh God, I-"

White-hot pleasure shot through Sasuke's veins, and he filled Naruto, feeling his essence leak out of the blond and slide down his own shaft. Naruto rolled off of him and collapsed onto the mattress.

"God, teme," he sighed. It was more of a disbelieving statement than an actual compliment. Sasuke took it as a compliment anyway. Naruto turned to his side and Sasuke turned with him, draping his arm over the blond's waist. "Happy birthday, Sasuke."

"It certainly was," Sasuke yawned in return.

A little later, when Sasuke was almost asleep, he just barely heard Naruto's whispered confession: "I love you, bastard." Barely, but he heard it.

The next morning, when Sasuke woke up, he woke up alone and nauseous.

"Naruto?" he called groggily. Maybe he was in the kitchen? Or the bathroom? No answer. Sasuke groaned and turned over, placing his hand on the pillow next to his head. He heard - and felt - a piece of paper underneath his hand, and slowly lifted his head. He squinted at the paper and attempted to read what was written. It was a sloppier version of Naruto's untidy handwriting. Apparently Sasuke wasn't the only one feeling a little hungover.

Teme, the note read, Tsunade-baachan assigned Team 7 a mission. Typical, huh? I feel like shit and my ass hurts so bad I'm limping. I'm going on a mission with 'uke' stamped on my forehead. Sasuke almost laughed. Be back in three days. Maybe sooner. I am awesome, after all. See ya!

A little lower down the page, he had signed it Naruto, but then crossed it out and wrote Dobe instead. Under that, he wrote, P.S. This will be my last mission with Team 7. I want the promotion. P.P.S. I don't regret what happened last night. I hope you don't either. P.P.P.S. You have guard duty at 2.

Sasuke glanced at the clock. It was noon already? Damn. Time to get up and nurse this hangover. Three days without Naruto. Of course this had to happen today, of all days. He had three days to think about last night. Sasuke chuckled. Naruto would barely make it through the front door before Sasuke would be on him again.

Naruto would be limping for the rest of his life.

-OoOoOoO-

All day, Naruto was having trouble jumping from tree to tree. Kakashi, Sai, and Sakura were all a few paces ahead of him, all three of them periodically glancing back at him and giving him these looks. Sakura looked confused and concerned, Sai looked sympathetic and knowing, and Kakashi just looked like he wanted to laugh. Naruto was almost as annoyed as he was sick. He was sure he shouldn't still feel hungover. It was sunset now, and they would be stopping to make camp soon. The pain in Naruto's lower back and other lower extremities had died down to a dull ache, but his head was still pounding and his stomach was still queasy.

A little later, when they were all sitting around the steadily burning fire, Naruto took a long drink from his canteen, trying to ignore three pairs of eyes on him.

"So how was Sasuke's birthday?" Kakashi finally asked.

"Fine," Naruto replied shortly.

"What did the two of you do?" Sai prodded.

"Drank way too much," Naruto laughed, trying to lighten the mood.

"Uh-huh," Kakashi said, his one visible eye piercing into Naruto and making him nervous. "Anything else? I know you and Sasuke didn't have a touching heart to heart talk. Like I've always said, with the two of you, actions speak louder than words."

Sakura's eyes grew wide, as if the pieces were finally falling into place. Kakashi and Sai had obviously already figured it out. Naruto felt his face heat up.

"Yeah," Sakura finally cut in, "and what was with that limp this morning?"

Oh, great. Now Sakura, too? Why were all three of them grilling him now?

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Naruto lied quickly.

So Sai came right out and asked.

"Did you and Sasuke have sex?"

"No!" Naruto lied again.

"We won't tell anyone if you did," Sakura assured him.

"But we didn't," Naruto lied again, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"Then what was all that shouting I heard about from that little old lady that lives next door to you?" Kakashi asked innocently.

"Uh... we..." Naruto had to think of a good lie. Quickly. "We got in a fight. He was drunk, I was drunk. And things got a little out of hand."

All three of his teammates looked at Naruto skeptically.

"Naruto, we're not stupid, and we're not going to judge you," Kakashi promised. "Honestly, I saw this coming. I think everyone who knows the two of you saw this coming." Sai and Sakura both nodded.

Naruto turned away and crossed his arms stubbornly. There was no way they were going to get a confession out of him.

Then Sai said something that hit home: "Are you embarassed because you played the submissive role?"

"I already told you!" Naruto shouted. "We didn't have sex! We had a fight! So just drop it already, 'ttebayo!"

"Then I guess you wouldn't mind if I went after him," Sai smiled.

"Fuck you, Sai! Don't you go anywhere near Sasuke!"

"Why? Because you're in love with him?"

And Naruto snapped.

"YES, okay? Is that what you want to hear? I'm in love with him, and we had sex last night. And, yes, I played the 'submissive' I am not embarassed about it. I just didn't want to hurt Sakura-chan's feelings, because she has been in love with Sasuke since we were kids! Is that what you guys wanted to hear? Sakura, I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, Naruto," Sakura smiled. "At least I know now that Sasuke-kun has always had a good reason for not wanting to be with me. Soooo," she continued sheepishly, "how was it?"

Everyone's eyes turned to face the girl, and she blushed.

"What? I'll never find out for myself," she explained.

"It was great," Naruto said with a grin. "Now let's drop it."

And so they did.

The next two days of the mission went smoothly, and Naruto was practically bouncing with glee as they walked back through the gates of Konoha just as the sun was setting. Sasuke was standing just inside the village gates awaiting Naruto's arrival. Naruto wanted to run up to him and hug him, then drag the Uchiha back to the apartment and pick up right where they left off on Sasuke's birthday.

"Naruto," he greeted with a smirk.

"Sasuke," Naruto replied, unable to hide his grin.

Kakashi cleared his throat.

"Lady Hokage would like to see the three of you in her office for your mission report," Sasuke told them, never taking his eyes off of Naruto. "She has given me permission to take Naruto home. He has some... business to attend to."

"Have fun with that, you two," Kakashi said suggestively.

Sakura could barely contain her giggles, and Sai pulled her away in the direction of the Hokage Tower.

Sasuke grabbed Naruto by the wrist and dragged him unceremoniously toward the apartment.

"Oi, teme! Shouldn't we talk about this?"

"I don't regret it," Sasuke said shortly. "And I plan on multiple repeat performances as soon as we get home. We can talk about your promotion later."

"Good enough for me!" Naruto grinned.

-OoOoOoO-

**Author's Note: So. Uhhhhhm. I'm not completely satisfied with this. Lately, I've been a little insecure about my writing (i've been a little insecure in general, honestly...) But, yeah, not too long ago my self-esteem took a pretty big hit, and I feel as though my writing has been struggling because of it. I don't wanna give you guys a sob story or anything; but I need to know honestly what my readers thought of Part 1. I need CONSTRUCTIVE criticism (that does not mean flames). I need to know what you guys liked, disliked, loved, hated. BlahBlahBlah.**

**IMPORTANT NOTE TO THOSE I WAS DOING BETA WORK FOR: I'm really, really sorry. We had Internet connection issues for a while (or so we thought), only to find out that it wasn't the connection that was the problem, but a wicked virus on our computer. I have literally lost 90% of what I was working on, my e-mail has been infected... the whole nine yards, so to speak. We have a "new" computer that we are borrowing from a friend, but there are no Microsoft Word/Works programs on it (i have been using someone else's computer for this piece), so doing most beta work is out of the question right now. **_**Gomenasai.**_** When I have everything worked out with my e-mail and such, I will get a hold of you.**


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